Young people's and carers' perspectives on the mental health needs of looked-after adolescents

While the mental health needs of looked‐after young people have been described in a number of clinical studies, the views of looked‐after adolescents themselves concerning their mental health needs have only rarely been reported. This study used focus groups to elicit the ideas and experiences of looked‐after young people in two local authorities in England. Front‐line carers in the region were also surveyed. Young people and carers were agreed in highlighting the damaging effects of the discontinuity and change experienced in the looked‐after system. Young people emphasized the importance of exercising choice and control when seeking and receiving support and identified the value of positive role models provided by ‘survivors’ of the care system. Carers reported high levels of risk behaviour, particularly self‐harm, among young people in children's homes. These differing perspectives need to be openly acknowledged and negotiated within care settings in order that relevant and accessible therapeutic and support services can be offered to looked‐after adolescents.     

Focused participation in social work and social action

Focused participation proposes that total participation by clients of social work and communities involved in social action is no participation if it neglects the severe blocks on capacity to participate imposed by oppressed life experience and poverty. Workers should take on the responsibility for including a planned program of participation in every intervention focused on what is most important to the client or community members. Case examples in residential care for elderly people, a child advocacy service concerned with the closure of children's homes, cutting a voluntary organization's budget and family social work illustrate the main points of focused participation.     

Factors that contribute to high turnover among residential child care staff

In this paper we draw on our own empirical research and that of others to consider the factors that contribute to high staff turnover in residential child care. First, we focus on the problem of retaining staff in children’s services. Second, we turn our attention to the factors that contribute to staff turnover in residential care: namely, perceptions of the service; of children and young people; and of human resource issues. Third, we attempt to draw out the implications of high turnover for policy and practice. The negative image of residential care has persisted in the wake of a plethora of abuse scandals. The increasing emotional and behavioural problems presented by the children cared for, and the violence and verbal abuse directed at staff are key retention issues. Moreover, poor conditions of employment contribute to staff perceptions of the work as a short‐term career choice only. The potential means of resolving these problems are explored, and the future research agenda highlighted.     

Life Satisfaction Among Israeli Youth in Residential Treatment Care

This study is a preliminary examination of life satisfactionamong 103 children in one residential treatment care (RTC) settingin Israel. Life satisfaction was examined using the MultidimensionalStudents Life Satisfaction Scale (MSLSS). Gender differencesin life satisfaction and correlations with background and in-carevariables were examined. The study revealed that girls weremore satisfied with RTC-specific domains than boys and thatthe residential child-care worker–child relationship playsa major role in the child’s life satisfaction. Findingsprovided some support for the utility of the MSLSS to describeRTC children and youth’s life satisfaction across a numberof important life domains. Ongoing administration of such scaleshas the potential to monitor RTC children’s life satisfactionand its correlates throughout their stay in care.     

Residential Location,Work Location,and Labor Market Outcomes of Immigrants in Israel

We develop and estimate a comprehensive dynamic programming (DP) model for the joint decisions of residential location, employment location, occupational choices, and labor market outcomes. We use data on immigrants from the former Soviet Union (FSU). We provide an extensive empirical evaluation of policies that have been designed to affect the residential and employment location decisions of the migrant population. The results shed new, and important, light on several issues regarding this group of immigrants. We find large regional differences in wages for the white‐collar workers, but only little differences for the blue‐collar workers. A careful examination of a number of policy measures indicate that a direct subsidy, in the form of a lump‐sum transfer, is most effective in achieving the government stated goal of inducing people to reside in the northern region of the Galilee and southern region of the Negev. Other policies, such as rental and wage subsidies, can also be quite effective, but these are more difficult to administer.     

Breakdown of teenage placements in Danish out‐of‐home care

This study deals with the problem of breakdown in out‐of‐home placements for Danish teenagers. How often are these placements prematurely terminated against the requests and intentions of the child welfare authorities? Which factors seem to increase and decrease placement breakdown? The sample consists of 225 youths and 367 placements during the years 2004–2008. Among the 225 youths, 44% experienced a breakdown, and 33% of the 367 placements ended with a breakdown. A large proportion of the placement breakdowns (20%) occurred before 4 months, and within the first year, 62% of the placement breakdowns had taken place. Replacements took place in 61% of all placement breakdowns. The analysis showed that type of placement and number of youth at the same placement had significant association to placement breakdown, but variables based on the social worker's clinical assessment showed no association to breakdown. However, while the logistic regression model was significant, it explained only 6% of the variance. Earlier studies have indicated that breakdown is a substantial problem of child welfare in several other western countries, Denmark is no exception. These corresponding breakdown rates point out that no child welfare system yet have found a method to reduce breakdown substantially.     

There goes our family friendly neighborhood: Residents’ perceptions of institutionally driven inner-city revitalization in Buffalo,NY

This article examines residents’ perceptions of inner-city revitalization in legacy cities. The analysis focuses on neighborhoods undergoing revitalization in a legacy city, Buffalo, NY. The article draws from data for a larger research project called Turning the Corner which was sponsored by the Urban Institute. The focus of that project was to identify planning strategies to address negative externalities caused by neighborhood change and heightened risks of displacement due to revitalization. Data were collected through a series of focus groups with residents and stakeholders in working-class, minority neighborhoods which were identified as being in the early stages of revitalization. Two findings emerged from the analysis. First, residents perceived urban revitalization to have a destabilizing effect on traditional neighborhoods. Second, residents perceived revitalization as detrimental to the sustainability of family-friendly neighborhoods. Insights from the analysis are used to prompt planners’ advocacy for revitalization strategies aimed at protecting minority, working-class neighborhoods when institutionally driven revitalization occurs.     

集中居住区农民的社会支持网络研究——以江苏省为例

集中居住区农民的社会支持网络主要包括实际支持、心理支持、社会交往支持这三个维度,这是他们被征地后融入新生活的重要保障。实证研究发现,当前集中居住农民的社会支持网络呈现出同质性高,异质性低的特点,血缘、家庭关系仍是他们社会支持的主要来源。应围绕这两个方面做好集中居住农民的社会关系调节,促进社会和谐。     

后云台山隧道下穿楼房近接施工控制爆破技术

连云港东疏港高速公路控制性工程后云台山隧道，进口段处于密集建筑群地段，其中有1栋5层居民楼位于其上方，设计要求施工通过此地段时，爆破振动的速度要控制在2 cm/s以下，给隧道施工提出了极大的挑战。通过对下穿楼房的后云台山隧道采用控制爆破技术，并进行爆破试验及监测，优化爆破参数，最终确保了新建隧道的施工进度和既有建筑结构的安全。